This May Be the Biggest Great White Ever Filmed

DEEP BLUE IS BELIEVED TO BE 20 FEET LONG, 5K POUNDS

(NEWSER) – Don’t be surprised if this beast appears in your nightmares tonight. Shark expert Mauricio Hoyos Padilla has released footage of a massive, 20-foot-long great white shark that might just be the largest ever caught on camera, reports ABC News. Though Padilla says he first found the shark near Guadalupe Island off the Mexican coast in 2013, it isn’t clear when this video was recorded; an earlier video of the shark appearing to high-five a diver was released in June. Nicknamed “Deep Blue,” the female shark is estimated to weigh 5,000 pounds and was believed to have been pregnant when the footage was taken. It shows Deep Blue approaching a cage of divers before swimming toward a camera—seemingly with a smile on her face.

“A shark of that size is at least 50 years old and that tells me protection and conservation efforts are really working,” says Padilla of nonprofit marine research organization Pelagios-Kakunjá. “Deep Blue has been spared from longlines and the inherent dangers of being in the wild, and somehow she has found her way in the vast ocean.” Though great white sharks often visit Guadalupe Island to feed on seals in November and December, Padilla says they head to shallow waters to give birth. “These areas are close to shore and very vulnerable to several human threats,” he says, per the Washington Post. The video of Deep Blue, who is tagged, has tallied 2.7 million views since it was posted on Facebook on Monday. (This heartwarming video shows a great white rescue.)